‘Mammography saves lives’ has received the agreements of almost every one. But there are drawbacks and benefits of regular mammography. The U. S. Preventative Services Task Force has made in decision in November 2009, which recommends “against routine screening mammography" for women in their 40s.

The decision of the task force was criticized by the American Cancer Society and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

They have advised that women in their 40s should continue to undergo the annual or biennial mammograms.

A study conducted to test the impact of regularly mammography has found that without screening 3.5 out of every 1,000 women aged between 40 and 49 will die of breast cancer in the next decade. Regular mammography can reduce the number of women to 3. The study also claims that in order to save the life of one woman of this age group 1,900 women must be screened annually for 10 years.

Another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has also recommended screening in women. It has found that the number of breast cancer deaths had decreased since the mammography program began though the contribution of regular mammography to the reduction in deaths was 2%.